Run Away, Run Baby
by It's normally in subtext
Summary: '"Steve?" Clint's voice broke over Tony's mutterings to a girl at the side, his head snapping up and looking everywhere around the room; till his eyes caught his in the window and he froze as the leant on the railing. He had no choice now; he had to buck up and face the music.' He didn't want to go but he had to... at least, that is what he told himself.
1. Chapter 1

He'd always had a thing for Tony; when they were at high school he couldn't get enough of the boy, even though his arrogance vexed him beyond comparison and this was coming from someone who shared eight classes with Sebastian Shaw. The smaller boy always watched him, even when he shouldn't have, to make sure that he stayed away from danger, looking back he could tell that he did his job rather pathetically. However even that part of Tony seemed to have his heart jumping up and down like a drum's skin but he knew that it wasn't healthy.

It wasn't healthy to watch a boy that enjoyed girls fawning over him like he was water in the Savannah. It wasn't healthy for him to focus on this one boy that didn't share his love. But, most of all, it wasn't healthy for him to have feelings for any boy.

He wasn't stupid and think that all gay people went to hell to have their limbs pecked off by sparrows with red wing tips but he hadn't had the most liberal and eclectic childhood, so everything that he heard his father say, even though he disagreed with all of it, scared him. If he was… his father wouldn't be able to look at him again. If he was, he was worried about the way that people would look at him. If he was, he would lose his family, his friends, his acquaintances, the Post Man and… Tony. Jesus, if Tony knew…!

That's why he left. That was why he enrolled in the military before he had, even, left high school; they took him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk but he didn't care, he just needed to get out of Brooklyn and away from those people that he'd been hiding from. He didn't care that the others laughed at his lack of muscles or his short stature; he just needed to run; besides the Army filled you out, eventually.

He hadn't left as smoothly as he would have liked, though; when he was packing his bags into the boot of his car, Bruce and Clint ran over to him and tried to stop him from leaving; the taller of the two diving into the boot and throwing the bags out, again. Steve grabbed Bruce's shoulders and span him around, stopping him and pushing him back, his head shaking.

"You can't stop me." He whispered. "I have to go."

"You don't _have _to do anything!" Bruce yelped, the eager scientist watched helplessly as the boy ignored him and restacked the satchels and sports bags. "It's not a requirement for you to go, yet; you can still back out-."

"I've made my choice, Banner; I won't walk away from this." He muttered, slamming the lid shut and sliding past the two to the driver's seat but being stopped, again; this time by Clint's hand on his sleeve.

"Mate, just talk to Tony, this whole fight thing has gone on too long-."

"This isn't about, Tony; this is about me and my decision. It has nothing to do with Stark."

He didn't have to be Charles Xavier to know that they were despairing with him, mentally, their eyes rolling and their jaws clamped shut to stop the scoffs. But he didn't care, he had to leave Brooklyn and he wasn't staying to fight.

"I'm sorry; tell Thor and Natasha that I-." He felt his throat catch as he thought about his other friends that he was leaving behind. "I couldn't say bye."

He scrambled into the car and left them stood there, by the curb, their hands shaking and their heads down. Bruce blinked once and then another time, stopping the tears and then letting out a yell and kicking a bin close to them. Clint tried to calm him but Steve couldn't see what else had happened because he had turned a corner and couldn't see them anymore.

He thought about them; when he was laid back on his bed, looking up at the pictures of old days on the roof of his bunk. He saw the scrawny little kid that he used to be, squashed in between a brick house and another slighter shorter but just as muscled house; he saw the glow in his eyes as he looked up at Tony with such love. He saw the laughter racking his body as Natasha shoved her ice cream in Loki's face. He could see the memories, in front of his eyes, keeping him awake as he fought to sleep.

The time that Bruce and Tony had been forced to evacuate the gym after their science fair project, you know, evaporated into a poisonous gas. The time that he and Thor had their asses saved by the small and slender Natasha; the way that her legs propelled her forward and knocked the men unconscious. The time that Clint had broken the window in the science block just to get back at Shaw as he bullied Raven and Hank; it was all right, his arrow became embedded into the wall just right of his ear. Or the countless times that they stayed up laughing at each other; with food scattered around their beds and drinks spilt on the carpet or left to shake precariously on a mantelpiece and Lord of the Rings playing in the background.

You didn't get those warm memories in the Army. But you did get something like that; well, no, you got to sit in blistering heat with sweating dripping down your back and watch Bucky flirt with a nurse as she bandaged his arm up.

He was in the marines for, about, seven years before they pulled him out of it, at that time he was hauled up for special service in the name of his country. He was 25 when he first met Director Fury; the tall black man pushed his leather trench coat to one side as he walked over to their group of perspiring hounds.

"I'm here to talk to Steve Rogers." He boomed over the murmur of voices and the less than kosher remarks about his appearance.

Steve pushed his food across to the white haired man sat next to him and frowned, standing up so that Fury could see his face amongst the drowns of others.

"That's me." He called, walking across and saluting the man but the man didn't return it, nor did he appreciate it.

"I'm not here for formalities, Rogers; can we talk somewhere more private?"

Steve nodded and led the man through their small barracks till they were alone, the sun hidden from them as they stepped under a curtained ceiling.

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

'The Avengers Initiative' was a broad and posh name for a bunch of men and women that were skilled in their particular field of violence. Rogers was rumoured to be one of the best soldiers of his age bracket, but he was nothing compared to some of the people that he worked with. Carol Danvers was a remarkable woman with the strength of a man and the beauty of an angel but her face hid the fire and anger in her hear; T'Challan, 'The Black Panther' an incredible calm and strong, patient man with the agility and flexibility of a world class gymnast and the silence of a cat; Ororo Monroe 'Storm' the anger powered and fierce mother of the group, not to be messed with, she'd blast you into another century; Hank Pym there was very little that could be said about Hank's fighting style but he certainly made up for it with his intelligence and his pacifist monologues.

That was their team and their family, there were a few more but S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent them on particular challenges that some people can't stomach. So, when Fury called them that morning to say that there were going to be new people on the team; he was surprised, they all were.

They were together brilliantly; they never fought, no one slept with anyone's girl or boy, no one spent all their time in a drunken stupor, no one fell over their own feet in a fight. Not that he thought that was what these other people would do but he didn't know them and he was proud of the Avengers, he didn't want anyone coming in and messing up their dynamic.

"Steve, would you stop already? It's going to be fine." Carol muttered as he continued to glare at the back of Fury's bald head for the billionth time in the last five minutes. He let out a sigh and turned his head 60 degrees to raise an eyebrow at her.

"How can you know that?" He asked, his arms folding across his chest as the others turned to watch their conversation.

"I can't but I trust in Fury, he won't let anyone into this top secret team," she stressed, rolling her eyes. "If he didn't trust them."

"Major, he's a spy; he doesn't trust anyone." He spat back. Carol just sighed and shook her head, the blond curls bobbing as she despaired at him, turning her head to look at the door.

"You're late." Steve heard Fury comment as the door opened and the newcomers walked in.

"Fashionably so." A voice threw back, carelessly and just as sarcastically as he used to.

Steve's heart plummeted; he had thought about that voice every day since he'd last heard it, thought about the way it broke when he used to begin crying, the way that it would laugh, the way that it would yell but he never remembered it perfectly enough. It was perfect now.

He watched the others turn and coo as they saw the self-confessed genius and billionaire standing in the middle of the Helicarrier control room. But Steve couldn't turn, his body refused to listen to his heart, it refused to look at the face that he'd run from. He wondered who else was stood there; luckily he didn't have to wonder for long.

"Doctor, it's a pleasure to have you and Barton join us." Fury said, in a softer tone then he'd used for Stark.

"That's alright, Director, we go wherever Tony does; to help clean up his mess." Bruce laughed, Clint smirking next to him; Steve watched them closely in the reflection of the mirror, Clint stayed close to Bruce always, he just never thought that they'd be… this close. Not that he condemned them; he just thought that one of them would have told him.

"Steve?" Clint's voice broke over Tony's mutterings to a girl at the side, his head snapping up and looking everywhere around the room; till his eyes caught his in the window and he froze as the leant on the railing.

He had no choice now; he had to buck up and face the music. The chair span as his foot pushed against the ground, looking at every corner for an escape route but they were all blocked.

Bruce let out a low breath as he looked at his old friend and his hand reached out, bypassing Clint and going instead to Tony' shoulder, pushing him forward so that he slipped from the railing and stumbled across the sleek floor. He was stood in front of him in a manner of seconds, bearing down on him like an owner in front of a puppy that had just pissed on the carpet.

Steve swallowed and stood up, yanking at the ends of his blazer to drag it down; he stood over Tony, now, he was more muscled as well, Tony's two biceps made one of his, his chest jutted out as he watched the emotions flickering across his face before he settled on one; anger.

Before anyone could do, say or think anything Tony's hand had balled into a fist and been slammed into Steve's jaw with a power that sent him stumbling back, his hands flying out and hitting the glass table so that it broke beneath him and his hands were sliced open. The rest of the table let out a shriek but remained intact.

Bruce could literally feel Fury roll his eyes behind him, dreading the discussion he'd have to have with someone about why they had to repair their state of the art and very expensive table.

Steve whipped his hand out, hissing as the blood dripped down to his finger nails and fell to the ground; his jaw stung as he opened it, attempting to talk but failing.

"T'Challan! No!" He glanced up as he saw Black Panther who had presumably, jumped across the table and leapt at Tony. Storm and Carol ran across to him and grabbed at their team mate as he attempted to attack Stark.

"You will not hurt a member of my team so unjustly." He spat in Tony's face but the man just stood there, unfazed, glaring at Steve with all the anger in the world bottled up into one expression.

"Stay out of this, spandex." He spat, moving past him towards his old friend. "It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me; Steven is my friend and under my protection." Panther hissed, jumping into his path and standing in between the two men. Tony stepped back, suddenly, looking up and down at Black Panther and shaking his head, deciding against what he was going to do and turning away.

Clint moved Bruce out of the way as Stark stormed away from the control room, the archer shaking his head as Fury made to call him back.

"Leave him; he needs his time to cool down." Clint mumbled, watching the back retreat down the hallway. Bruce was the first one of them to look up at him, his eyes soft and sorry but edged with anger and bitterness. Ah, so that was why they never told him they were together.

He felt Carol's finger touch his jaw carefully but he flinched away and jumped at the touch, flashing her a look and following Tony's large stretches as he made to find him.

"Steve!" Clint called but he ignored the archer and slipped from the room, glancing around for signs of the man but finding none. Sighing, he locked down at his feet; once again, Steve Rogers had lost the man that he loved.

I hope to update soon, I really hope that you like it. I disclaim all rights to it, I don't own any of the Marvel Characters. Also, sorry if I've offended anyone I didn't mean to, I don't think any of the things that Steve is worried about but I just wanted to get across his nervousness and a reason that he would run away for the first time ever because this is Steve; he never runs.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint was the one to find him, moving across the Helicarrier's puddled roof to reach Steve, his dark purple jacket as he rocked back on his heels; silent he read him like a book, his dark eyes scanning across Steve's face as he pouted in the rain, the hood becoming damper on top of his blond hair. "Tell me that you didn't expect any differently."

Steve felt his chest heave as he sighed, pushing back the tired effect on his eyes and wincing as he forgot about the lump on his cheek, brushing it harshly. He winced but not from the pain, from the echo of Tony's angered and aggravated look, hiding the pain. "Honestly?"

Clint nodded and blinked, waiting for his answer as he let out a sigh, turning to face him slightly.

"I… thought a lot of outcomes for this but none of them included him punching me in the face; no." Clint's guard dropped and the friend came out from behind the FBI officer. "Tell you what though, he can really punch now." Steve muttered as he clutched at his jaw, Clint laughed and shook his head, taking my hand and yanking it down.

"If you scratch it, it won't heal."

"What the fuck kind of old wives tale is that? That's bites and scabs." Steve exclaimed as Clint pushed down on the blood spots on my hand, pulling it back Steve glared at him.

"Just checking that you can still feel pain, back then all those years ago we thought that you were a cold, unsentimental bastard that didn't care about us." He spat at me, evenly raising an eyebrow at Steve and turning back to face the less than aesthetic view.

Steve felt the chill down his back as Clint shut down on him again, the man turning off and biting back at him like that reminded him of the mess that he made and the hurt that he caused; that was never his intention. He wanted to save Tony the pain and humiliation when it came out that his pathetic, tag along friend was in love with him; he wanted to save himself the pain of seeing Tony fall in love. But he realised that none of that had happened.

"Clint, I-."

"You fucking dare try and apologize and I swear to God, I'll smash your face into tiny little pieces." He hissed, whirling around to face him and sticking a finger in Steve's face. They were silent as they faced off; fear taking over both of them. For Steve it was a fear to see everyone after he'd hurt them so; for Clint it was a fear that he was going to start crying again.

Both of them were saved, however, by Maria Hill calling to Steve and telling him that Fury wanted to see him. He gave Clint an apologetic look and walked off of the roof, holding open the door but seeing his old friend stuck in his stance in the corner.

Bruce was stood with Tony in the make shift lab that Fury had let them hide in, sticking a plaster on the knuckles of the man as he sat there, pouting.

"You didn't have to punch him, Tony." He sighed, rolling his eyes as Tony let out an exclamation of insult.

"Of course I did!" Tony yelped as he tried to pull his hand back but Bruce was resilient and strong. "He left us without even bothering to say goodbye. He didn't care all these years when we went through hell to try and get him back. He didn't even give a shit when Hank died-."

Bruce's head shot up and stared at him as the pain panged in their chests. Tony stopped as Bruce pulled away and turned to look at the computer screen, flicking images and emails.

"You know what I meant… I spent two years trying to find him and I got nothing-."

"You spent a hell of a lot longer than that trying to find him Tony." Bruce muttered, gaining Tony's attention as he looked at his bruising hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped, standing up and moving closer; for a long while, Bruce was silent till he looked at him and sighed, his head shaking.

"May 5th you came back and you gave up; you laid in your bed, not moving, not eating, not doing anything. You had physically been destroyed by the agony of the fact that you had lost Steve. We did everything that we could to get you to do something; we even got your dad to help but nothing worked. Then one morning you got up and you were fine, we were so happy we didn't care about your motives. You went to M.I.T., you did all this work and built Stark up further and further and then you got the press flocking around you." Tony made to interrupt and hurry up story time but Bruce just powered on. "And then you did all these things, not turning up to meetings, being rude and cold, sleeping with whatever walked, drinking at all hours and going out to casinos and strip bars. I used to think that you were doing all of this because you never had a childhood and you were trying to get back at your dad but then I realised something that the person that used to stop you doing these things when we were kids; was Steve."

Tony looked away and focused on a spot on the wall that Bruce couldn't make out, his shoulders tense and his head held proud, fists clenched at his side.

"…You looked for Steve and when you couldn't find him, you tried to make him find you and it didn't work because he didn't want to be found."

"He was our friend! Of course he wanted to be found! When we played hide and seek when we were younger he used to hide in plain view and come out after five minutes because he hated being away from us." Tony spat, his anger rising and his desperation and pain flaring.

"Well, we're not seven anymore Tony and Steve's changed, he doesn't need us anymore-."

"He'll always need me!" Tony yelled, rushing forward and grabbing Bruce tightly, shaking him and shaking him. Bruce's temper fought against his compassion and love for the man, the muscles in his brain begging his arms to attack but his heart stopped them as they heard Tony's wallowing sobs. "He'll always need… I need…"

Bruce only just had time to grab him before his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. His head landing on Bruce's shoulder as his body began to shake with tears. The Scientist held on to the Inventor as he mourned over the Soldier.

"It's okay…" Bruce could only whisper as his friend tugged at his shirt. "It's all okay…"

Is that all that you can say? Natasha's voice mumbled in his head as he held onto him. Really, Bruce? He is ruining your shirt and all you can say is 'It's okay'? He's not a child be honest, push him

"What do you need?" He asked, softly. "Tell me."

"Sex." Tony mumbled his voice tired and dry as he hiccupped over the whimpers.

"Okay, I'll go get Clint." Bruce jokes, smiling as he hears Tony's laughs and the relief of crying passing.

They rested there for a while, Tony still clinging to Bruce and Bruce letting the other keep him down. The anger and pain was still residing in both of them but now it had been displaced by the shock and exhaustion of the day. They just seemed to rock there, moving forward and back as their nails scraped dark material.

Steve watched them from the window in the control room, neither of them seeing him there as he saw the way that Bruce comforted Tony as he began to scream and cry. They way that Bruce stopped his tears and then kept him there. He thought about all the times that he must have done that for him, all the times that Steve did it for him and the times that he could have done it for him for the past few years. All the memories and bad times he'd missed and he was going to have to catch up on…

But could he? Would he get the opportunity to make everything better with Tony and the others? Should he? Does he deserve that?

This chapter took ages and really kind of depressing. Hope you like it. Lots of love xxx.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Just a little quick thing at the top here for someone who asked me a while back; the other people in the Avenger Intiative in this Universe are members of the Marvel Avengers. **_

_**Carol Danvers is Ms Marvel who got her powers after a surge of energy for Mar-vel an alien; she has super strength and speed and she can fly, she's also kinda hot which is a plus but then again you don't see ugly girls in comics. She was a pilot, as well, before it all happened.**_

_**T'Challan is the Black Panther, otherwise known as the King of Wakonda or Wakanda… I really should check but I can't be bothered. He is flexible and strong and wise and something else… he has a sort of kinetic energy I think that can take the form of a panther… I believe.**_

_**And Storm… HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW HOW STORM IS? Ahem, anyway, she is called Ororo Monroe and she has an undeniable control over the weather and any changes that may happen. I would love to see what happened if she and Thor went up in a fight. She is also the future wife of T'Challan.**_

_**And Hanky Pym Pym; I do love Hank Pym because he has a massive brain, fucking huge brain, but he doesn't quite know how to use it. He has the mind of a nuclear physicist and a great biologist but he chooses to study plants and beetles, which whilst adorable is also really quite gross. He gave himself the powers to first into an ant and then a giant. He is also a pacifist with a big stick for rehabilitant people who have done wrong. He would have had a field day with Loki. **_

_**There, just so that you know if you were confused. I may add in more characters but they shall always be from Marvel unless they aren't at which point I shall tell you. It was like with the soldiers in his battalion because I couldn't remember the names of his mates. I don't own any of them, I really don't and it stings like a bitch.**_

"This," Fury said, casting a sharp look around the group of faces, first at Tony and Bruce then at Steve, who was keeping his eyes trained on the computer in front of him. "Is your target; Victor Von Doom, he's on the island Latviria, practically owns it, in this castle." He said, flicking the images across with a long nail and it shows the dark clouds and lightening flashing around the castle teetering on rocks. Either Fury really goes for atmosphere or Doom does.

"Why are we going after him?" Pym asked, raising his voice so that Fury could hear him over Clint's murmurs to Bruce, Fury gave a roll of his eyes and settled Pym with a look but he just shrugged. "We're not just guys with guns, Fury; you've known that from the start, we have to have a reason to go after someone or we just become murderers."

"You know, if you had just said the reason why at the start; you could have skipped the humanitarian lecture from Jesus Christ over there." Carol said, her thumb jutting out into Hank's face.

Fury smirked as Hank glared in her direction and began again. "The reason that you are going after him is because he is amassing a robot army to go after Reed Richards and his family."

"Why?" Bruce asked, looking down at the cold and bitter face in the picture below his hands, Clint leaning over his shoulder and squinting at, trying to discern metal from flesh. "I mean, I don't really watch the celeb gossip channels but last time I heard they were good friends. I've seen him all over their house."

"Recently, Reed and three others took a trip to space to monitor the solar flare and they changes that it would make; they used Von Doom space station to protect them but it ended in disaster, nearly costing them the life of one of their own and leaving them comatose. Doom, not only, lost his girl but also his company and all of his money."

"So, he's having a hissy fit complete with a fleet of A.I.'s. Jeez, she must have been really good in the sack." Tony threw over his shoulder to Bruce, making the scientist and the team around them smirk. But Steve just sat there, rigid and pained as he saw the man continue as if nothing was wrong with him.

"Well, intelligent men can have dramatic temper tantrums." Fury spat back, his eyes glancing toward the men that were fixing the other table. "You have to get in there, shut the A.I.'s down and then find a way to neutralise him." Fury puffed out his chest and stuck his hands behind his back, standing tall. "There will be a jet waiting for you on the landing pad in half an hour; go."

The chairs scraped back and they all stood up, beginning to leave the room and head to their own, grabbing dark clothes and equipment. Just as they were leaving Clint looked over his shoulder and saw T'Challan speaking in a low voice to Fury, their heads together and separated from everyone else.

"Clint!" Bruce called, pulling him back out of the room and holding onto his hand as he made to move back. The archer looked down at the scientist and frowned.

"What?"

Bruce inhaled and looked hurt for a second before shaking it away and smiling, "Come on, we have half an hour before we have to go on our first adventure." He said with the giddiness of a child on Christmas Eve.

"You do realise that there is a high possibility of us dying on this mission. We should probably savour every moment with each other." He murmured moving closer and sticking a slight smirk on his face as he lowered his head down to Bruce's smile.

"Ew, guys! Gross!" Tony's voice came out shrill and high like a fifteen year old girl who had just encountered a spider the size of a pea. "Honestly, get a room."

"We _had _a hallway." Bruce sighed, pushing away Clint's body and moving around to pout at Tony. "Did you really have to come along and-?"

"Cockblock you and Katniss over there?" He asked, pointing between the two of them. "Uh, little bit yeah. Your room is right next to mine and I don't want to hear you to get hot an' heavy like last summer."

Bruce and Clint blanched as they remembered the terribly embarrassing memory of staying in the Venice villa with incredibly thin walls. Tony and Thor were on either side of them and Nat was just across the hallway; not to mention all the goats that were judging them.

"Okay, so, what do you want?" Clint asked as Bruce turned a bright colour of red and hid his eyes behind his hands, only peeking out after Tony had begun talking.

"I just thought that, considering, we're the outcasts of this strange and incredibly diverse family of soldiers and one sissy that we should stick together. You know, when we're there."

"Clint, I think that for the first time ever Tony Stark is asking us for help." Bruce said over his shoulder to the archer leaning on him, he smirked as Tony's poker face fell.

"No, I am simply suggesting that, given the extraordinary circumstances, we should unite; should anything happen we have each other's backs."

"Scared of a few robots, Stark?" Clint asked, raising his head over Bruce's and teasing the man before them.

"Yes. Yes, I am. Because, you never know, Clint; they may have saws for hands." Tony said as Bruce shook his head and began walking to their room. "Or lightsabers or Harry Potter sticks or handbags." Tony's voice yelled, following them down the corridor.

They reached their room and Tony followed them inside, Hank watching with a frown as the door slid open again and Tony was thrown out by the scuff of his neck.

"This isn't sticking together!" He yelled at them, slamming his back against the closed door as the muffled voice of Clint Barton shouted back. "I beg to differ!"

Hank watched as Tony sighed, got up and walked to his room next door, before pulling Steve out of the corner and shaking his head at the taller man. "Do you really have to hide from them? You're working in the same team you have to spend time together." He said imploringly, his eyes searching the blue in Steve's own. "You have to face each other some-."

"No, you're wrong." Steve said, quickly and sharply as he pouted and began to walk away.

"What are you going to do then? Become invisible?" Hank snapped as he watched the figure turn around the corner and disappear, sighing he flicked his phone open after retrieving it from his pocket and dialling, it only took two rings for the receiver to pick up the phone.

"Yes?"

"So, Stark punched you in the face and so you left him for the army; you can still talk to each other and be nice to each other even if you hate each other-."

"Goodbye, Pym." Steve said in a low and even voice, he pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call, brushing it into the hands of an intern that walked past. "Here, go play on Fruit Ninja."

Steve walked through the Helicarrier until he reached the weapons room and found Bucky relaxing there, his jaw snapping as he ate his gum with gusto, his feet resting on a table and a magazine in his hands. He was the least diligent and uncaring member of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Steve had ever met and he welcomed that fact because it also meant that he didn't look down at the barely trained soldier or kissed his ass.

"Now, now, Bucky, shouldn't you be working?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and raising a brow.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere with Carol's mouth around your-."

"All right, fuck off." Steve snapped harshly, Bucky smirked and pulled his legs up, turning the magazine down and standing up, walking over to him and smirking under his nose.

"Here for your shit?" After Steve nodded, her gestured with one hand over to the table hiding behind shelves and shelves of discarded or terrible weapons, they even walked past a series of lipstick shades; when they reached it Steve frowned down at the lack of choice and variety.

"Where's my shield?"

"We're getting you a new one made of vibranium but it's going to take a while."

"Why?" Steve asked as he picked up two Glocks and shoved them into his holsters, then grabbing other guns and sliding them into his back; magazines and bullets were shoved in there too, along with a couple of switch blades although Steve objected profusely.

"Hey, a guy is never going to expect you to attack him with a switch blade which is why you should use it; so, he can laugh in your face before you die." Was Bucky's only response as to why.

"Because the only place that you can get vibranium is in Wakonda and since the Panther isn't on the best terms with his dad, it is taking a while to get clearance."

"You can't nick it from some meteorite?" He asked; Bucky didn't even bother to respond, just walked around the table and handed him the old shield that Steve hated using.

"Here, you go, big guy." He stuffed his hands back into his pockets and watched him as he tried to get used to holding it again, balancing it on his arm and swinging it. "I know you don't like it but… it's that or death."

"I think I'll take death over this hunk of junk." Steve mumbled, shaking Bucky's hand and nodding to him as he walked out of the room.

He headed to the roof where his original team were waiting for him; they were always ten minutes early. The helicopter came just as Tony was chased onto the roof by Clint and giggled as the archer struggled to button up his shirt. Bruce shook his head as he appeared with three small bags and Clint's bow and arrows in his hand; a motherly look on his face as he reprimanded the two of them in a quiet voice.

"Are you three ready or do we have to wait for Tony to finish his time on the naughty step?" Carol asked over Bruce's efforts to silence their giggles.

"We're okay, let's go." He said, slamming the bag into Tony's chest and carrying their things to the copter before climbing on. Clint nodded to the others and sat next to him with Tony and Hank taking up the other seats in the back, whilst the others headed for the front, slamming the headphones over their ears and leaning back, ready for the long flight.

It was halfway through that Hank stopped being impressed by Clint's stories of Budapest and turned to Bruce, saying.

"So, Doctor Banner, my friend Janet did a Google search on you and told me some stuff; is it true that you very nearly exposed yourself to Gamma radiation?"

"I didn't nearly; I did." Bruce said, evenly.

"Hang on!" Steve yelped, grabbing his constraints and pulling on them till he was able to turn around and face them. "You did what?"

Bruce jumped and faced him with a frown as Steve stared at him wildly. "You didn't know?"

"Does this look like the face of someone who knew his friend exposed himself-?"

"The word 'friend' is a bit of a stretch, don't you think, Rogers?" Tony interrupted but Steve ignored him and finished his question anyway, ignoring the way that Tony glared at him.

"It was a long time ago, about three years ago and nothing happened; I may as well have exposed myself to jelly." Clint snorted, his hand loosening on Bruce's as he spoke. "That would have been messier." He laughed, his knuckles going back to the original tan colour that they were, his eyes returning to their dark blue and losing the glossed effect.

"Why, though, Bruce? Why do that to yourself?"

"For the advancement of science, Steve; I was on the midst of a breakthrough and I thought that doing it to myself was the only way that I could sleep well at night. Don't worry, Steve, I am fine."

"But you may not have been; Jesus, Bruce why didn't you tell me?" He blurted out before he could stop himself. The second that the words flew out of his mouth the atmosphere in the copter changed dramatically.

Hank shuffled closer to the door of the copter and paled as Tony began to shake and turn a dark colour of puce, Clint had raised his eyes up and stared him out as Bruce looked down at the ground, swallowing and hissing from Clint's strength on his hand.

"You've got to be joking me, Rogers?" Tony spat as he fought for the control that he was slowly losing. Steve drew back and recoiled under the hard stares but he didn't back down.

"I meant, why didn't you tell me when-?" He began but Tony's scream caught him off.

"Because we couldn't find you!"

There was a silence for a few seconds with a strong chill following at; the soldiers and spies at the front knew better than to stare but Hank couldn't seem to turn his gaze away from the tension between both Tony and Steve; each one breathing heavily and colour rising to their faces, shoulders tense and fists ready; despite the rational part of their heads barking at them that it was foolish to even attempt punching the other while they were in flight. For one, Steve was hidden behind a chair and for another their hands were still bandaged and bruised.

"Or did you forget that you abandoned us?" Tony spat with all the venom he could muster, hissing out every syllable as though it was poison in his mouth.

It did its job; the words flattened Steve's anger and aggression till he was just staring at Tony with regret and guilt; his eyes huge and hollow, as though Tony's last sentence had physically broken his heart. Steve looked down, unable to face their gaze once more and turned away, breathing out and facing the front window. His fingers flexing in and out to distract himself, the long nails he had neglected for so long scraped back the bandage and cut across the layer of skin till Storm rested her hand on top of his and held him still.

The rest of the flight was, painfully, silent.

They landed about five miles away from Doom's castle, on the edge of a large imposing wood that's thin trees provided easy cover for them, the copter moved out again, promising to pick them up when they gave the all clear and they were left to move into the shade; creeping forward and shifting under the cover of the trees as they began the long walk around the island and over to the Castle with cautious care and deliberation. All the way, their main companion was silence, after the incident on the copter, no one spoke; nothing was uttered except for when the four exchange a mutter and rearranged their course due to the advice of the GPS. Tony was stuck in a stoic guilt ridden state that he refused to budge from and Steve… the self hate was evident in everything that he was doing; constantly checking the map, making sure that everyone got their waterproofs on as the rain began, pulling people over slippery rocks when they reached a creek that was difficult to cross alone. He made sure that everyone was all right to try and stave off the pain and guilt that was eaten him up inside. He was trying to beg for forgiveness by doing small favours; that's all that he could do right now. That and hope it was working.

It wasn't.

**I hope you like it and that you continue reading this story, I'm not sure what kind of AU it is. It is one with super villains but normal people because I think that normal people triumphing over evil is more… real. We see police and firemen and the army and navy and we forget that they battle, every day, villains. Anyways, strange thing over and done. Sorry for bothering you, my lovelies.**


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